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Show Your Doctor Says... Th4 following U on of a tertei of article! ar-ticle! written by memberi the Utah Stent Medtcot Allocation and published in cooperation with your local ntwtpaptr. Theis article art ecnedufed 10 apptar tvery other weeh throughout the year In an effort 10 itetter acquaint yon with problems of health, and detignea to improve (he well-heinf of the people of Utah. Tonsillectomy i The most common of all throat ' diseases is perhaps chronic tonsil- ) litis. The frequency of occurrence Is no doubt due to the location and structure of the tonsils. As It is a cryptic structure the crypts often become filled with debris and harbor infections. The acute Infections are frequently asso-f asso-f elated with sore throat, chills and fever, headache, back ache, and I pain In the limbs. Referred pain to the ears Is common along with the sore throat. 5 In chronic infections of the tonsil local symptoms are often entirely lacking, while there may i be disease in other parts of the body, the cause of which may be j traced to the tonsils. There may I be a feeling of a foreign body, scratching, burning or soreness of the throat. A cough, a bad taste 5 or a bad breath may occur. : Tonsils that are chronically in fected are subject to repeated acute attacks. No set of rules, can always be applied for the removal of tonsil? but each case must be studied b your M.D. Physician. In genera' however, a tonsillectomy is lnd cated If there are repeated an frequent attacks of tonsillitis or-there or-there are recurrent abscesses o the throat because of lnfectc tonsils. I If there is an Infection In th body and there is a possibility that Infected tonsils are contributing con-tributing to that Infection, it U usually best that they be removed. Again It may be said that symptoms sym-ptoms of tonsils contributing to infections may be lacking and only on examination and by pressure pres-sure on the tonsil will it extrude infected material. In case of chronic draining ears or repeated attacks of ear ache which may be followed by draining drain-ing ears, the tonsils should be removed. This Is common In children in which case the adenoids ade-noids as well as the tonsils are a contributing factor. Large tonsils and adenoids in children causing an alteration In speech, difficulty in swallowing and breathing, should be removed. When the glands of the neck are enlarged and tender and there is a history of repeated or permanent per-manent enlargement of these glands, the tonsils If present are usually the source of the Infection Infec-tion and removal Is Indicated. Children who fail to gain In weight or have unexplained fevers or frequent colds and sore throats and still have their tonsils and adenoids are relieved in the majority maj-ority of cases by tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. Tonsillectomy Is usually not an emergency procedure and the time for doing it can be chosen, therefore there-fore acute local or general infections infec-tions should be cleared up before the operation. Acute infections of the tonsils respond very favorably to a number num-ber of the newer drugs but tonsils hat are in a condition to cause epeated infections requiring these rugs best be removed. Tonsillectomy as performed to-lay to-lay is an art perfected to a high :egree, requiring skill and dex-erity dex-erity for lta proper execution Xdequ'ately performed it la cap able of curing many ills. |